By VOICE & VIEWPOINT NEWSWIRE
Under the emergency declaration issued by Mayor Todd Gloria in response to Monday’s storm, teams from the City of San Diego’s Stormwater Department will begin Friday morning working to clear stormwater culverts along Chollas Creek clogged by material carried downstream by floodwater flows. Work will begin in Southcrest, starting in the storm channel at 38th Street and then working northeast (upstream) along the creek.
The City will also bring on contractors to assist with the emergency clearing work on the culverts ahead of a potential storm in the forecast for next week. An incident management team made up of multiple City departments is working around the clock to dedicate resources to the response and recovery efforts.
The City has identified more than 70 streets in neighborhoods including Southcrest, Mountain View, Encanto and others which were heavily impacted by flooding and have mud and debris blocking the public right of way. So far, 16 of those streets have been addressed. In order to allow large equipment to access the streets for sweeping, City crews will place temporary “no parking” signs on impacted streets to alert residents.
As of Thursday, 16 teams from the City’s Environmental Services Department – a total of 74 employees and 40 support staff with packer trucks and stake beds – were also deployed to remove storm-damaged household and yard items. Crews are focusing on areas that saw the most significant flooding on Monday, and the work will take several days to complete.
So far, more than 1,000 tons of storm-related debris have been removed from the impacted areas. This includes mud, trash and bulky items. Thursday, City teams also began going door to door to assist residents with the safe removal of hazardous materials, which can’t be disposed of at the landfill. The proper collection and disposal of hazardous waste is crucial to protect the health and safety of residents and property. Household hazardous waste items include batteries, paint, light bulbs, pesticides, chemicals, propane tanks, oil, antifreeze and medications.
The City is in the process of gathering financial estimates related to the storm damage, in order to request federal disaster assistance. According to the National Weather Service, Monday was the fourth wettest day in San Diego since 1850.
Affected residents are encouraged to fill out a voluntary online survey that San Diego County will use to determine the residential financial losses caused by the flooding and that will help the County qualify for federal disaster relief. Residents who are impacted by the storm can find resources and contact information for City services by visiting SanDiego.gov/storm.
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